Canadian powerlifter Clifton Pho still lifts as a Junior, but that hasn’t stopped him from breaking multiple Open world records. The 23-year-old turned up at the IPF World Championships that are currently being held in Alberta and deadlifted a titanic 285.5 kilograms (629.4 pounds) raw for a new world record. The guy competed in the -66kg weight class, making this well over 4.3 times his bodyweight. Watch history being pulled in the clip below.
He called this “surprisingly heavy” in an Instagram comment.
[Watch the first ever 5x bodyweight deadlift made at IPF Worlds, which took place this weekend!]
He squatted 215 kilograms (474 pounds) and benched 137.5 kilograms (303.1 pounds) for a total of 638 kilograms (1,406.5 pounds).
Pho’s deadlift broke his own deadlift record by just 500 grams, which he set at last year’s IPF Worlds.
[Clifton Pho shares why he started powerlifting in this article that also features Jen Thompson, Kimberly Walford, and other elite lifters!]
After his performance at this year’s championships, Pho posted a picture of himself posing with some other Canadian athletes, noting that his world record wasn’t even a personal record.
It’s been a hell of a year… managed to hit 215-137.5-285.5. No PR’s by any means, but still smiles all around 😄. Had a blast up on the platform. Super happy to be done and looking forward to putting all my old body issues to rest. (…) Open… here we come!
It’s true that we saw Pho deadlift 285.5kg back in February, and he’s even pulled 300 kilograms before, albeit with straps, a deadlift bar, and weighing 68.5 kilograms. Still, the guy deserves some respect for this one (it’s the second video in this gallery).
Yup, this is Clifton Pho’s last year as a junior powerlifter (he’ll switch to an Open athlete once he turns 24) but given how many times he’s broken open records as a junior, we don’t think he’ll have too many issues making a mark in his next phase in the sport. Congratulations to the man!
Related: Romanian Deadlifts Guide
Featured image via @theipf on Instagram.
